Turkey’s Foreign Ministry
summoned Switzerland’s deputy ambassador to Ankara on Saturday over a
protest in the Swiss capital Bern against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.
Anadolu
said some 250 people, including supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK), staged a rally earlier on Saturday in Bern calling
for a ‘No’ vote in an April referendum in Turkey that could give Erdogan
sweeping new powers.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Erdogan
on Saturday lashed out again in the diplomatic row with the European
Union saying it would be “easier” if the EU just rejected Turkey’s bid
to join the bloc.
Turkey and Europe are locked in a bitter dispute
after Germany and the Netherlands blocked Turkish ministers from
campaigning in the local Turkish communities for a ‘yes’ vote on
boosting Erdogan’s powers in next month’s referendum.
“What? If a
‘yes’ comes out on April 16, they would not take us into the European
Union? Oh, If only they could give this decision! They would make our
work easier,” Erdogan said at a rally in the southern city of Antalya.
Despite
severely strained relations with Brussels, no EU leader has openly said
a ‘yes’ vote would spell the end of Turkey’s already-embattled bid to
join the bloc.
But Erdogan told the rally that “April 16 would be a breaking point,” referring to EU-Turkey relations if the ‘yes’ vote wins.
“We
will put this (EU-Turkey) business on the table because Turkey is no
one’s whipping boy,” he added, indicating that Ankara could reconsider
its relationship with Brussels.

Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during a meeting of
the members of Balkan Federation on March 23, 2017 at the Bestepe
National Congress and Culture Center in Ankara, Turkey. (Photo by AFP)And among some European politicians, there has been discussion over what the future of Turkey’s membership process would be.
Kati
Piri, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur for Turkey, wrote for
Politico Europe earlier this week that if a majority of voters approved
the constitutional changes, “the European Parliament will have to assess
whether the country’s new governance structure meets the EU’s
Copenhagen accession criteria”.
In the referendum Turks will
decide whether to approve constitutional changes that would create an
executive presidency and would see the role of prime minister axed.
While
the government argues it is necessary for political stability and would
avoid fragile coalition governments, critics fear it will lead to
one-man rule.
Erdogan has repeatedly accused European countries
including Germany of using “Nazi measures,” comments that have been
condemned by the bloc’s leaders.
“For as long as you continue to call me dictator, I will continue to call you fascist, Nazi,” Erdogan retorted.
Another
contentious issue is the death penalty, which the Turkish president
said again Saturday he would approve if it was passed by parliament and
brought to him.
“What? If the death penalty is introduced for the
249 people killed, Turkey has no place in Europe. Oh, let it not be!” he
said, referring to the number of people killed during last July’s
failed coup.
Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the EU.
But Brussels has repeatedly made clear that any move to bring it back would scupper Turkey’s efforts to join the bloc.